News archive (November, 2016)

A harmonica player delighted patients, staff and visitors at The Friarage Hospital with tunes and a cheque for £1,000 – raised through concerts and CD sales. Talented David Hewison-Sandyford, 65, of Bedale, brought his unusual harmonica collection to the Northallerton Hospital hub and entertained people enjoying a coffee as well as stopping passers by in their tracks with his musical skills.

When teenager Elizabeth Mewett collected a wheelchair from The Friarage Hospital in Northallerton, she vowed to raise money to help other patients who could benefit from the service. And determined Elizabeth Mewett, 13, has not let having the fatigue-inducing condition Idiopathic Hypersomnia stand in her way.

Meet Carol and Eric, part of a new family of ‘plasticine people’ who will be introduced to the North East public for the first time this week through a new NHS advertising campaign. The characters are the first of nine friendly faces who will help the region’s NHS through the challenges of winter, by helping people to make the best use of stretched NHS services – as well as taking better care of themselves and their health.

Up to eighty patients suffering from myeloma are expected to attend a special awareness event at The James Cook University Hospital next week, giving them the opportunity to meet and discuss their experiences of living with the blood cancer. Patients will also get the chance to find out about the wide range of support available to them in Middlesbrough, from complementary therapies to social activities.

A touching concert tribute to celebrate the life of dedicated North Yorkshire Councillor Tony Hall will be held on Sunday 27 November 2016 from 2.30pm. ‘Reasons to be Cheerful’ will be an afternoon of Cllr Hall’s favourite songs and music at the Forum and was also the title of his blog which celebrated Northallerton life.

A number of local artists are getting together to help make Christmas shopping that little bit easier – and raise money for the MRI Scanner Appeal. This weekend (19/20 November), seven specialists in arts and crafts are making a rare public appearance away from their studios to showcase their creative wares in West Tanfield Village Hall from 10am to 4pm. Entry is free.

Building work has begun to house a new MRI Scanner at the Friarage Hospital as charity campaigners’ edge closer to their £2million target. Construction partners Interserve have started work in the former special care baby unit where the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) equipment, which is used to detect a wide range of conditions in almost any part of the body, will be based.

The chest X-ray pilot has been developed as a partnership between Macmillan Cancer Support, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Middlesbrough Council, South Tees Clinical Commissioning Group and the Tees Valley Public Health Shared Service. It is available at The James Cook University Hospital and the One Life Centre on Linthorpe Road.The scheme remains at the pilot stage but makes it easier for people with symptoms of poor lung health to get help and treatment.

An initial 150 patients per year are set to benefit from a new £95,000 investment in new lung surgery services at The Friarage Hospital, Northallerton. New specialist imaging equipment, increased theatre capacity for lung surgery and outpatient clinics will now be provided at the North Yorkshire hospital, benefitting patients from across Hambleton and Richmondshire and further afield, who currently face a long journey to The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.